An amorous siege and a succession war
by moonfiretiarasoulaction
Summary: Now her third year in high school has started Touko wants an able person to take over for her as student-council president. Luckily she knows just the right person, but that person is going to need some cajoling in order to see things Touko's way. Meanwhile, Koyomi has ambitions of her own and starts the new school year by properly confessing to her girlfriend.
1. Chapter 1

Opening manoeuvre

* * *

This is about as romantic as it gets: Bobbing around in a pristinely green painted wooden rowing boat on a large pond with maple trees growing by the edge of the water and water lilies floating on the surface.  
Birds who are building their nests and picking their mates are singing all around us and pairs of ducks slip into the water by the foot of a tree.

But you can trust Touko to spoil the conventionality of it all by making some weird request.

"Alright. Sit completely still," She says as she slowly rises up from her seat in a thin blue sweater and a flowery skirt that reaches just underneath her knees.

I watch her precariously balance herself with spread legs while she eventually manages to stand up straight on the flat bottom of our boat without unbalancing us and falling into the water. That in itself I consider a small miracle. But…

"Come, Yuu," She grins. "Now you do it."

"I still don't see why," I say while I carefully lift my body from my seat in the middle of the boat.

As I slowly position my feet next to hers with my back to the front of her body I feel Touko gently take my right hand in hers.

"You shouldn't startle me like that," I blush. "If I make one insecure movement we might both fall in the water."

"But we won't," I hear behind me. "That's what I wanted to do this for, to teach you what you taught me: No matter how much you shake, no matter how insecure, if a captain can trust in her surroundings she will keep her boat afloat."

And this speech about trust she gives me after she plotted to manipulate me three weeks earlier.

* * *

It was the day of the entrance ceremony. The cherry blossom front had come to town early that year and Koyomi and Sayaka had already held a flower-viewing party with their friends before school started. Even so, after their first day as a third-year and a second year at Tohmi Higashi High had ended the two girls walked hand in hand over a carpet of fallen petals that covered the footpath from the school building all the way to the river.

"Hey, Kanou-san! Stop pulling!" Sayaka complained as her kouhai towed her forth with mild insistence.

"Ah! I'm sorry," The girl with the black bob apologized as she released her girlfriend's arm.

Sayaka heard the signal of a passing train at the crossroads a few meters back and turned her head to watch the guard-arms go down. A passing gust of wind slightly rustled her hair and she turned her attention to Koyomi again.

As the brunette had expected, her girlfriend was staring at her with a slight blush on her cheeks. This was exactly the kind of situation where Koyomi would daze off with a look that would make an animator depict her with hearts for eyes.

When her girlfriend had asked her to try going out together Sayaka had still been smarting from the rejection of her deep affection for her best friend. A rejection that had been considerably softened by the fact that it had visibly hurt Touko to break Sayaka's heart, but a rejection that had affected the latter deeply nonetheless.

While outwardly dealing with her broken heart and her friend's lovey-dovey relationship better than might be expected, when Sayaka was at home she would appear listless and unmotivated to her parents.

The betrayal of her love by her senpai in middle school had left her overly cautious and superstitious about the possibility of anyone ever returning her feelings if she fell in love again. Having faced such disappointment in love for the second time, no matter how much Touko tried to be kind and considerate, a sadness had come over her closest friend that found no expression in tears.

That is why she had so easily agreed to the offer Koyomi made her around Christmas. An offer she would surely have refused if she had been able to accept her lot better.

Now that she was increasingly confronted with the intensity of her girlfriend's love for her, a restlessness had taken possession of Sayaka.  
Spending time with the younger girl seemed to have chased away the sadness that pressed upon her before and it wasn't so hard to see Touko and Yuu together anymore. But finding herself unable to return Koyomi's feelings for her, lately, Sayaka was beginning to doubt the choice she had made.

"Why are you so eager to come here together anyway?" The brunette quietly asked while surveying the bridge to her left, the stone steps that formed a sort of pedestrian crossing to the other side of the river and the tufts of grass along the riverbank

"Don't you think this looks like a romantic place?" Her girlfriend asked.

Sayaka watched Koyomi descend the stone stairs leading down to the river ahead of her.  
She had to admit that the image of the nimble and elegant girl with the black bob leading the way for her in her black skirt and salmon-pink bolero jacket against the backdrop of the riverbank on the other side had a picturesque beauty to it.  
She could see her current vision turned into a painting few would walk past without taking a pause to let their eyes wander over the scene.

"Yuu told me about this place and it always seemed to possess a very romantic quality to me," Koyomi continued as they reached the last steps. "So I wanted to take you here once. And today, with the cherry blossoms strewn all about, seemed like the perfect occasion."

The blackette slowly walked over the stone steps until she was standing in the middle of the river. Then she turned around with a nervous smile.

"Please don't follow me yet, Saeki-senpai. The reason I wanted to bring you here was not just for the sake of the scenery, but for the sake of using the scenery as a backdrop for a special oratory performance."

Sayaka stopped in her tracks just as she was about to cautiously tread the first stone in the river and looked up in confusion.

What was this? An oratory performance? Did Koyomi want to treat her to an excerpt from her story? Sayaka knew her girlfriend was almost ready with the period drama she had been writing.

"Can you please sit down a little higher on the stairs, Saeki-senpai?"

Sayaka did as she was asked without reacting to the strangeness of the request. But she now noticed for the first time how nervous her girlfriend seemed.

Koyomi stood valiantly erect below her, not unlike an actor would have in a performance of the Greek plays of old.

The brunette was aware that as an author who had already written a stage play, and thus, knowing Koyomi, had certainly done research about theatre performances, her girlfriend would be better aware of the acoustic benefits of their relative positions in this environment than she was.  
So she understood that her idle observation could not have been a coincidence, but that the practical benefits of the scenery were definitely calculated into Koyomi's scheme.

"I hope you are not uncomfortable with this, Saeki-senpai," Koyomi nervously addressed her girlfriend. "I have put a lot of thought into this because I want to do this right. But I know you may not be ready for this yet, Saeki-senpai, and in that case I apologize if I am making you feel uncomfortable."

Sayaka was now indeed starting to feel uncomfortable. She watched the girl who was so bravely and so anxiously baring her soul before her and gripped the hem of her skirt with her left hand  
She should have seen this coming. How was it that she had been able to ignore that to Koyomi her investment in this relationship with her senpai had become very serious.

And how was it that being confronted with this fact so unexpectedly now was disturbing her so.

"It's okay if you have no reaction to what I am going to say. This is something I want to do because the time is right for me. So please listen to what I have to say."

Sayaka saw the younger girl clear her throat, look up at her, and swallow. It was very cute in a way.

"As a fleeting presence in my life, you never failed to catch my attention whenever our paths crossed.  
Such warmth and consideration for those close to you, yet to others a distant image of perfection.  
My heart drew me near, hesitatingly, wanting to learn and feel. Yet at that time I was still unsure of my emotions.

Now I can no longer deny my desire and affection. Your scent, closeness, and voice color my life.  
So in gratitude for the happiness you make me feel every day I continue to strive so that one day I can be the person that fills your heart with joy."

Having finished reciting her confession Koyomi looked up at her girlfriend while resting her hands on her hips initially, then folding them in front of her, and finally resting them on her lower back.

Sayaka was equally perturbed. For various reasons.  
Her girlfriend had done her best to make her confession not just heartfelt, but a romantic event.

"This is a little embarrassing…" Koyomi blushed. "But I felt that I needed to properly confess my love to you.  
Dating another girl and being in a relationship was all very new to me and I really felt attracted to you. But I didn't know to what extent, and I wanted to make that doubt clear to you," The blackette said more fluently as she ascended the stairs toward her girlfriend.

"But just as much, when I realized how important you have become to me I wanted to make it clear to you that I am very serious about becoming the most important person in your life."

Sayaka wondered whether her panic was as plain to see as she felt it. Every muscle in her body was tensed up.  
She wanted to get up and run away more than anything.  
She did not return Koyomi's love. That much was clear to her. As clear as her girlfriend was about her own feelings.

But as that girl came face to face with her and sat down beside her Sayaka looked into the smiling eyes of her kouhai and wondered why she could never refuse Koyomi Kanou.

"I know you have also enjoyed yourself during the times we have spent together. I know that's not the same as love, but I am sure I can make you feel what you have felt for others," The blackette said.

Koyomi gently touched Sayaka's right arm and even though the brunette still regarded her girlfriend with dilated pupils and still breathed agitatedly all the tension in the limb melted away instantly as the aspiring writer slowly brought the older girl's hand to her lips and kissed it.

"I know I will make you want me as much as I want you," Koyomi breathed while Sayaka anxiously watched the girl hug her hand to her cheek.

* * *

A few hours later that day, I learned recently, my own girlfriend was on the phone, reaching out to my sister with the purpose of deceiving me without the least compunction.

Sitting at her desk after finishing her studies Touko leaned on her left arm while holding her smartphone to her ear until she heard the voice she hoped would help her solve the conundrum that was the word: "No!"

"Hello Nanami-san," Rei-chan greeted while she sat on her boyfriend's couch with the television on pause and Hiro reading a book in the seat to her left. "How are you doing today?"

"Ah… I haven't had much luck today," Touko sighed. "Your sister can be surprisingly stubborn on some occasions. No matter how much I pleaded with her she flat-out refuses to even consider running for student-council president."

"Hahaha!" My sister laughed. "I'm not surprised. Yuu was never one to pull the reins. She can hardly make decisions for her own sake.  
I appreciate that you keep trying to push her beyond her limits even if you have ulterior motives for doing so. Having said that, I really can't fathom why you want her to take over from you. Unless…" Rei-chan grinned.

"Factually speaking this is your second term in office, is it not? Do you plan to use Yuu as a strawman so you can run things behind the scenes during your third year?"

"Honestly, Koito-san," Touko sweated. "Do you imagine me to be some sort of corrupt post-communist dictator?"

"Hihi. I'm sorry. Hiro agrees I'm saying ridiculous things."

"And you are grossly underestimating Yuu," My girlfriend continued her scolding. "That is one of the reasons I absolutely have to find a way to make her do this against her will.  
In spite of what both of you may think, Yuu would be absolutely perfect for the position. On top of that, I see nobody among the second years who would be able to do the job adequately.  
I do have some pride, so I want to leave the position of student-council president to someone fitting."

"Well… If that's what you believe then I will help you all I can, but I'm afraid if Yuu of all people puts her foot down against the idea your chances of convincing her aren't great."

"You're telling me?" Touko whined. "I've been trying to tell her how much fun she would have and make jokes about the play she could set up in the fall. But she keeps telling me she doesn't want to do it."

"I can imagine how hard it must have been," My deviously giggling sister replied.

"That's why I decided to ask you for advice on how to trick your sister. She must have a weak spot I haven't thought about.  
As her older sister, you have to be able to come up with some way of bending her will," My loving girlfriend eagerly spoke.

"Ah… I do think there is something you might be able to use," Rei-chan pondered with her pointer finger to her lips.

"What is it? I can tell you just had an idea."

"You see, Nanami-san," Rei-chan grinned. "Even I can see that my sister is a cute little kitten. And like all cute little kittens, she is marvelously fascinated by fish. If you are looking for her supreme weakness that is surely it.

I don't know how you are going to be able to exploit that fact exactly, but I'm sure you will be able to figure something out if you put your mind to it."

Touko while leaning back in her desk chair and playing with a pencil in her left hand remembered something Kusakabe-sensei had told her and giggled involuntarily.

"What's wrong?" Rei-chan frowned. "You are making funny noises."

Hiro-kun looked up from his book at his girlfriend.

"Thank you, Koito-san," Touko sang. "I knew you would be able to help me. I have a great idea, but I am going to need you to help me a little more."

* * *

After many internet consultations and some phone calls and visits from Rei-chan and Touko to several specialty shops over the weekend, my girlfriend sat down at her desk to work out her devious plot.

She later assured me that it took a lot of hard work and that she treated Rei-chan and Hiro-kun to a movie afterward. Although my sister had told her she would help out for free.

And the result of it all was that the next Friday, just before homeroom started Akari told Koyomi and me:

"Hey! Have you heard that the school received extra funding and was able to salvage a large portion of it for the club budget?"

"That's the first I heard of it," Koyomi replied.

It took me a while before I realized that she and Akari, who was standing before us in her blazer-less summer uniform, were staring at me.

"Aren't you supposed to know about this?" Koyomi deadpanned.

"I should, shouldn't I?" I replied while bewilderedly scratching the back of my head. "Touko should know at least. I wonder why she hasn't told me."

Akari made a strange pitying grinning face and looked at the ceiling with a whistle.

"I suppose she doesn't want you to get excited only to disappoint you by telling you that… mumble mumble mumble…" My tall friend mumbled.

Koyomi and I shared an annoyed look.

"If you can say that much you can say it all, can't you?" Koyomi grumbled between her teeth.

"Well… I would…" Akari hesitatingly admitted. "But I don't really know if it's my place to say…"

"If my girlfriend is keeping things from me I prefer not to have to get that information from her," I deadpanned. "That always ends up awkwardly."

Again I received strange looks from my two friends.

"You wouldn't understand," I cringed under their gazes.

"Well if you are giving me permission to tell you..." Akari finally sighed while rubbing the back of her neck.  
"So, they have a lot of extra budget for the clubs this year. But the budget raise is going to be a yearly thing.  
They obviously want to raise the budget of each existing club, but there are plans to add a new club to the options Tohmi Higashi High has for students.  
Here comes the part that's gonna disappoint you," My tall redheaded friend grinned sheepishly.

"Spill it," I sharply encouraged her while leaning my chin on my joined hands.

"You see… Among the plans is the idea for an aquarium club. But the teachers don't think there will be enough girls interested in maintaining the tanks and feeding the fish."

"Of course there will! Because an aquarium club would be amazing!" I yelled while standing up and slamming my hands on my desk.

Everyone in class was staring at me and the three of us froze up in embarrassment.  
Luckily, at that moment, our homeroom teacher came in and I was saved from my moment of shame.

* * *

As soon as the last class before lunch ended I set out for the teacher's lounge to talk to Riko-sensei.

Eager to know more about this aquarium club idea I walked briskly through the hallway. But as I turned the corner Mai and Kotoko bumped into me and I fell backward onto the floor.

"Yuu-senpai! We're sorry for bumping into you like that!" Kotoko anxiously apologized and reached out her right hand to me.

"Yes. We're sorry," Mai added and reached out her left hand. "Let us help you up."

"Don't worry about it, you two. I was running through the hallway. So it's my own fault," I smiled while my inseparable juniors from middle school hauled me onto my feet.

"Why are you in such a hurry, senpai?" Mai asked.

"Yeah. That's not like you," Her friend with the short blonde hair claimed.

I realized how impatiently I was eyeing the hallway behind them and forced myself to calm down.

"I am going to the teacher's lounge to ask Riko-sensei about a rumor I heard," I smiled. "That's all."

"You sure are busy for the student-council. Aren't you, senpai?"

"Yeah. You were like that in middle school too. Taking care of everyone in the softball club and making sure our competition forms were filled out correctly."

"Was I like that?" I frowned.

"You sure were," Kotoko grinned. "Our dependable Yuu-senpai."

"Sure was," Mai's black ponytail went up and down as she nodded. "We said so before. Everyone in the basketball club tells us they can always count on you to get things done."

* * *

I finally caught up with Sensei in her homeroom class. She was eating at her desk while looking over some notes.  
She seemed to be correcting some tests and was startled when she heard me knock on the window of the door.

"Oh, Yuu!" Riko-sensei exhaled. "Are you here to collect the applications for the student council election? Punctual as always I see," She smiled and leaned her arms on her desk. "But I haven't had a chance to ask who is interested yet."

"Oh?" I muttered with a blank face. Then I shook my head.  
"No. That's not why I'm here. Saeki-senpai said she'd do the rounds to collect the application forms."

"Ah… what are you here for, then?"

"I...I heard something about t… the school having plans to start a new club."

Was I stuttering? Riko-sensei later told me I was blushing. I have a hard time believing her.

Sensei smiled and rhythmically hit her red marker against the desk.

"You heard right. It's so unlike you to get excited about something like that.  
The annual funds high schools receive from the ministry of education's budget has been raised and the school board decided to divide part of that extra money among the clubs. But there are also plans for one extra club."

"A… an aquarium club I heard," I stammered while pulling on my skirt with my left hand. "Ahem. I heard an aquarium club was considered."

"Hmmm?" Sensei frowned. "We did receive a very interesting offer from a former student who now runs an aquarium shop and somehow found out about the plans for a new club.  
The school will allow the new student-council to organize an election about the kind of club most students are interested in, but we think an aquarium club would be bothersome because it takes up a lot of space which would be a waste if member numbers drop. Besides… I don't really see how the new student-council would get a lot of students interested in it in the first place. Most teachers consider it a hard sell compared to a kendo club, a chess club, or a… "

"But it would be so cool! We could keep salamanders, and frogs, amberjacks and turtles, and a shark…!"

"A shark?!" Sensei exclaimed in horror.

"A houndshark! They are only a hundred cm long and are very gentle.  
We could put on shows and have educational evenings and an aquarium club would be a great place for students to unwind while learning how to care for different animals!"

"You sure feel strongly about this," Riko-sensei suddenly remarked.

"Huh? Why do people keep saying that? I just have a normal interest in marine life," I replied while I noticed that my throat was feeling rather dry.

"Well, the aquarium club proposal could have used someone like you. But it's out of your hands I'm afraid. The new student-council will be the ones responsible for campaigning the club proposals."

* * *

Planning in my head I rushed to the student cafeteria.  
I found Touko eating with Saeki-senpai and Koyomi and sat down my plate of two sandwiches and a banana opposite my girlfriend.

"Yuu! Where have you been?" My girlfriend whined. "Lunch break is almost over."

"I've been talking with Riko-sensei about something I heard from Akari," I answered while Koyomi who had sneakily been feeding her awkwardly blushing girlfriend turned to look at me.

Touko looked at me with a perfect poker face. She had been getting better at that since we started dating.

"Why didn't you tell me the school was considering starting an aquarium club?!" I asked her.

"Ah…" My girlfriend sweated. "You found out?"

"I sure did!"

"Knowing how much you are interested in these things I didn't want you to get disappointed," Touko squirmed. "The truth is that the teachers think a chess club will be more interesting to the students and for the appeal of the school.

I only heard about it myself two days ago when Riko-sensei told me it would be up to the next student-council members to organize an election campaign so the students can vote on the different club proposals."

This was a flagrant lie, which Touko later revealed to me after I employed extreme interrogation techniques on her. She also inadvertently revealed to me that she hates it when I try to sing. A fact which resulted in me needing extensive comforting.

"I wish you would tell me these things," I sulked.

"Aw… I'm sorry," Touko pouted cutely. "I only tried to do good. Please forgive me?"

I can't resist her when she looks at me like that. I furtively looked up at her puppy face and caved.

"Yes, I'll forgive you," I said and held her hand under the table.

"I understand that this must be disappointing to you, Yuu," Saeki-senpai quietly said. "But since the outcome of the election is out of your hands you would do best to prepare for disappointment. Especially if the teachers favor a chess club."

"Unless you want to succeed Nanami-senpai as student-council president after all," Her black bobbed girlfriend smirked.

I showed Koyomi an unpleasant smile as a retort and continued my lunch.

* * *

"You have to be my campaign-manager!"

Koyomi looked up at me with a shocked expression as I planted my hands palm down on her desk before our last homeroom class of the week started.

"What?! Why?"

"Because you're a writer! You know how to give people the feels. I don't know anybody more suited to the job!"

"But you adamantly refused to run for student-council president!" The young author reminded me while Akari joined us.

"Hmmm," I grumbled. "For this worthy goal, I would try it."

"Hahaha," Akari laughed. "Sounds to me like you've been corrupted before you even get into office."

"And you will be my vice-president!" I pointed my finger at her.

"Me?! I can't. I have basketball practice!"

"Oh, come on! How many times do you need to go to practice anyway?!"

"We have a shot at the title this year! I haven't got time to be your vice-president!"

"Why don't you ask Maki-kun?" Koyomi interrupted our shouting contest to the relief of our embarrassed classmates. "He told me he's disappointed that the current student-council is disbanding."

"Maki-kun?" I frowned. "I don't know…"

"My novel is ready, so I can be your campaign manager if you really want to do this," Koyomi kindly told me while leaning the tip of her pencil against her lower lip. "But I can only help you out occasionally after that. You'll have to find other people to form a permanent student-council with you."

"What makes you think I was going to ask you?"

I had to shy away from the piercing look she showed me in response to that question.

"I'll help out occasionally too if at times you need extra help," Akari added. "But I can't join your team, Yuu. You'll have to ask someone else."

"Please sit down everyone!" Our homeroom teacher interrupted us as he closed the door behind him.

Akari and I quickly sat down at our desks.

Surveying his pupils, Kimura-sensei stood stoically behind his desk.

"Let us get the applications for the student-council elections out of the way," He said with the application form in front of him. "As you all know this is the last chance to advance your candidacy. Is there anyone here who has decided they want to apply at the last moment?"

A feverish impulse made me get up and raise my hand.

"I would like to run for the position of student-council president after all, Kimura-sensei."

"Yuu? Alright. I'll put your name down. It's quite a surprise that it took you so long to decide Or... well… Maybe not."

I heard several approving whispers around me while sensei wrote down my name.

"And who will join you?"

I looked pleadingly at Koyomi who was sitting to my left.

"I will be Yuu's campaign manager, Kimura-sensei," She stated as she got up from her seat.

"Oh?" Sensei frowned but smiled as he wrote down her name. "Interesting…"

"Maki Seji and Doujima Suguru will join us," I boldly added.

"What?!" Akari and Koyomi reacted in surprise.

I just kept staring ahead.


	2. Chapter 2

Troop movement and war room

* * *

Koyomi and I now had not a small task on our hands.  
The other candidates had already assembled a team and prepared a campaign. Things we were now having to hastily prepare against a deadline.

But while I met up with Maki-kun and Doujima-kun over the weekend to beg their cooperation my campaign manager had previously arranged plans, so the following day found her and her girlfriend ascending the stone steps of the Jiju shrine in Kyoto.

"I'm sorry to drag you all the way out here," Koyomi turned to Sayaka once they had reached the platform that housed several stalls for buying wish-inscribed wooden plaques. "I know you've seen all this last year already. But this is really important to me."

There were a handful of people walking around and going in and out of the shrine. Sayaka observed a young man who was writing something on a slip of paper before throwing it in a bucket of water.

Koyomi looked lively and stylish in the plaided black short-sleeved sweater vest over a white shirt and short black skirt she had decided to wear for their city-trip. Sexy even with the blush on her cheeks and her lower legs bare.  
Sayaka thought she looked cute and confident at the same time. She herself had opted to wear a long blue jeans dress with straps over a white shirt and had a thin blue linen vest over the dress. It was still a little chilly.

Her girlfriend had insisted on taking this trip, promising a present. Sayaka had protested against any expensive or elaborate shows of affection after the confession at the river, but Koyomi had told her it wasn't really a gift, but something she had promised her girlfriend earlier. She wanted the appropriate setting for the occasion and that setting apparently was to be found in Kyoto.

So all the way to the shrine Sayaka had been curious as to what was in the brown canvas school backpack her girlfriend had been hauling all the way up the hill and had made the skin of her arms, neck, and face glisten so.

"I'm sorry."

Sayaka blinked.

"Huh?" She reacted. "What for?"

"I realize I've been a little selfish lately," Koyomi grimaced. "I confessed to you out of the blue and put you on the spot like that and now I have you come all the way here for my sake."

Sayaka smirked at the suddenly self-conscious writer.

"Why apologize now?" She joked. "I've never known you care about what I want since we started dating."

"What?!" her girlfriend exclaimed while turning pale and wearing a shamed look on her face.

Sayaka giggled and that pained look changed into one of bewitched adoration. A look that always made Sayaka feel uncomfortable.

"It's okay, Kanou-san," She said, looking ahead at the shrine while part of her smile stayed on her lips. "I wouldn't have expected so, but you are a fun person to be around."

Koyomi frowned and with a deadpan look replied: "Thank you, Saeki-senpai. You're not as dull as I imagined either."

"Ah…" Sayaka now blushed. "I didn't mean it like that. I only meant that I didn't expect you to be so lively."

"You're what makes me lively," Koyomi smiled devilishly.

Her girlfriend was dumbstruck, but mother nature came to her rescue.

"I'm sorry. I'm going to go to the toilet for a few minutes," Koyomi casually apologized. "I'll try to make it quick."

Sayaka watched the blackette walk into the public lavatories to the right of the shrine and wandered around a bit.  
Her eyes fell on the love stone she passed by and she remembered how she had foolishly walked from stone to stone half a year ago before her confession to Touko.

The brunette remembered the boat ride and the cold feeling in her heart when a tearfully sorry Touko told her that she was in love with Yuu without a doubt.

Sayaka chuckled to herself as she remembered Yuu's application for the student-council presidency.  
Somehow Touko was getting her way. She always did somehow.  
It took all of them opposing her to go against her with the student-council play after all.

The way her friend always had her mind made up and boldly pushed her goal was one of the things Sayaka found so dazzling about Touko. It was so unlike herself.  
Maybe it was a good thing that Touko now had a girlfriend to oppose her with equal determination when she needed to be opposed.

These past weeks Sayaka had found that she was okay with not being Touko's girlfriend.  
It didn't hurt to see her and Yuu together anymore and it was nice that the three of them could interact casually and without restraint.

It was strange, but there were times that she would sit in class and glance at her friend wondering how she used to be so enchanted with Touko's appearance.  
Sure, she still felt Touko was very attractive. But there were other girls in school she now could see were at least equally attractive.  
Touko's everyday motions and way of talking didn't hold the same charm over the brunette as they had for the past two years either.

It was a strange bittersweet but also a liberating sensation that came over Sayaka when she realized that she had not just accepted Touko's relationship with Yuu, but had emotionally moved on from her romantic infatuation with her friend.

Sayaka had a new person in her life who colored her days. But as she slowly walked past the second love stone and stood still the brunette admitted to herself that she was starting to realize the problematic nature of the relationship she was in.

A girl was writing down her worries at the wooden table next to the bucket with water that would dissolve the ink as well as her concerns. Sayaka watched her as a gust of wind played with the hem of her blue jeans dress.

Koyomi may have helped her to get over her love for Touko, the aspiring writer had not managed to replace the flamboyant student-council president in Sayaka's heart.  
What kept puzzling Sayaka was that Koyomi was aware of this, but undauntedly kept declaring that she would succeed in conquering her heart.

Some would say that such declarations were born from desperation, but Sayaka knew her girlfriend well enough by now to see that the blackette was confident of her eventual success.

It made Sayaka feel guilty to see Koyomi try so hard because she herself had by now resigned herself to the fact that nothing would come of this relationship. She should have stated this clearly when Koyomi confessed last week but felt overwhelmed by her girlfriend's affection.

Her chest felt tight and she had trouble breathing as she watched the girl in front of her drop her slip of paper in the wooden bucket and moved on.

Sayaka kneeled down at the low wooden table and took a piece of paper for herself.  
A strong breeze had picked up and the wind was blowing in her face.

The house-shaped wooden plaque erected behind the little table said:  
"Please write down your troubles on this paper doll and put it into the water nearby. When the paper dissolves in water, your troubles will be cleared up."

Koyomi was nice. She always bore other people's wellbeing in mind and wasn't selfish at all.  
Everything she did was either centered around her writing, her friends or her girlfriend.  
Sayaka enjoyed spending time with her. She enjoyed their sleepovers.

But Koyomi wasn't her type, and sooner or later she was going to have to be honest about that and hurt the girl who was always trying to show her a good time.

The brunette felt she had an idea of how Touko felt when she told her she couldn't be with her.  
But she couldn't imagine doing the same to Koyomi.

With a heavy heart, she wrote: "I don't love my girlfriend." and dropped the paper doll in the wooden bucket.

It seemed to Sayaka that it took a while for the ink to dissolve. While she waited she heard excited noises and giggles behind her and wondered what was going on.  
Then she heard Koyomi's muffled voice.

"Senpai…"

Sayaka slowly got up and turned around while automatically stepping towards her girlfriend's voice.  
To her surprise, she was knocked over while Koyomi fell on top of her under loud applause and merry laughter from the people around them with her head wrapped in an orange wind jacket.

"Saeki-senpai! Is that you?" The aspiring writer panickedly exclaimed while sitting up and struggling with the wind jacket. "I'm sorry for bumping into you… I... can't get this…"

From her reclined position Sayaka helped her girlfriend peel off the jacket. Both girls caught their breath when the ordeal was over and stared at each other.

"Thank you…" Koyomi muttered, her cheeks red and a fascinated look in her eyes. "I'm glad I fell for you."

Sayaka felt her face heat up as she realized what the feverish, hypnotized look in the eyes of her girlfriend meant.

"We… We better get up," She hastily said. "There are people watching."

"Oh. Right!" Koyomi remarked and stood up with awkward looks at the people who were talking and walking toward the shrine.

She helped Sayaka to her feet and clothed herself in the grey wind jacket she had taken out of her backpack earlier.

"Are you alright?" She asked her girlfriend when she was ready. "I'm sorry if I hurt you."

"Thank you," The brunette replied while combing back a loose strand of hair. "I'm fine now."

"Let's go to the temple then," Koyomi smiled.

Sayaka took the hand her girlfriend offered and followed in the direction of the Kiyomizu-Dera temple.  
Then she remembered the people around them giggling and applauding back when Koyomi fell over her.  
As they passed the love stone near the lavatories Sayaka suddenly stopped and stared from that one in a straight line toward the love stone near the small wooden table and the bucket where she had been writing down her worries earlier.

"What's wrong?" Koyomi, totally oblivious to what the taller girl had just deduced, asked with a frown.

Sayaka looked from her girlfriend to the love stones and back.

Slowly an amused grin appeared on the lips of her kouhai.

"Do you want to test whether our love will bear fruit?" The blackette teased.

Still embarrassed at resorting to love-fortune-telling stones for giving her the courage to confess to Touko, Sayaka grimaced at her girlfriend's amusement.  
A second later she huffed distinctly and continued on her way hand in hand with a chuckling Koyomi next to her.

* * *

A short walk later they found themselves on the near two-hundred meters wide wooden terras of the Kyomizu-Dera main hall, overlooking a breathtaking view of hundreds of blossoming cherry and maple trees and the beauty of Kyoto city.

"This is what we came for," Koyomi said as they leaned against the balcony and allowed their eyes to feast on the gorgeous sight.

"I already saw this in autumn," Sayaka said. "But it is really beautiful in spring as well. You are right. This is fully worth the trouble of getting up here."

"Ah!" The aspiring writer exclaimed. "I didn't mean the view exactly."

Sayaka watched her girlfriend start to take the brown canvas backpack she had been wearing from her back. Then a sudden idea made the blackette look at the people near them.

"Excuse me…" Koyomi bowed humbly toward a kindly looking forty-year-old woman and her mother. "I'm very sorry to disturb you, but can I ask you something?"

"Oh? It's not a bother," The woman said. "What's the matter?"

"I would like to give my friend an important gift and I would like to have a picture of the moment I give it to her. Could you please use my smartphone to take the picture?"

"Oh! How nice! Are you proposing?" The woman's mother joked.

"N...No! That's not it at all!" Koyomi nervously replied while looking back at a giggling Sayaka with a spooked look."

"Don't be cheeky to strangers, mother," The woman gently scolded.  
"Of course I'll take a picture of you. That's no problem at all. Where do you want to pose?"

"Come," Koyomi nervously pulled a startled Sayaka along closer to the main hall.

Then the girl with the black bob showed the woman how to take a picture with her smartphone and stood before her girlfriend with her backpack in hand.

"You wanted to be the first to read it," She said as she pulled a thick rectangular packet out of the backpack.

"Oh! Your novel!" Sayaka smiled.

"Yes. But this is more important than just giving you this to read," Koyomi continued as she still held on to the packet her girlfriend had reached for.

"That is why I wanted a fitting decor for this moment. And Kiyomizu-Dera stage is so appropriate for a variety of silly reasons.  
I wanted to tell you that I am ready to stand on a hinoki stage.  
_(Author's note: Japanese byword for standing in the limelight. Kiyomizu-Dera stage is covered with hinoki cypress boards).  
_  
I feel really good about this novel.  
I still really want your honest opinion about it when you have read it, but the person who will read it after you will be a literary agent.  
That's why I wanted to come here to give my manuscript to you. I want to jump off Kiyomizu stage  
_(Author's note: another byword, meaning: To make a decision. To take a plunge into the unknown.)_"

Sayaka was a little bewildered by what she was hearing, but the woman holding Koyomi's smartphone still took several pictures as her girlfriend handed her the novel she had been working so hard on the past months with both hands.

"W… What? But Renma-sensei! Shouldn't you ask for her opinion first? Didn't you intend this story for the competition?"

"Renma-sensei has read the story already in broad lines.  
I sent her various passages while I was working on the novel after I started to feel that I was writing something really good. And she agreed that the story has strong potential and advised me during the writing process.  
She's the one who told me to try and publish my story instead of using it for the competition and brought me in contact with the person who will represent me if they like the novel.  
Of course, that means I have to write a new story for the competition, but I've already made some progress on something and I'm confident I can get it ready in time."

"So I won't be the one to read it first," Sayaka pouted.

Koyomi regarded her disgruntled girlfriend with surprise.

"Ah…" She sighed while holding up her backpack. "But you really are the first one. Renma-sensei only read passages.  
Altogether she has only read half of the story. You will be the first person to read the entire novel."

Sayaka observed her girlfriend. Then she grinned.

"Well… As long as I can read it before Koito-san that's good enough, to be honest."

"I knew it," Koyomi sighed and blew some air out between her lips.

"This is very exciting," The woman who had taken their pictures remarked as she handed Koyomi her smartphone. "We wish you good luck with your novel. I hope we'll be able to read it too."

"That's right," Sayaka stated. "If you want to stand in the limelight you have to get your name out there, don't you think?"

The brunette directed a poignant look at her girlfriend.

"Ah! Of course. My name is Kanou Koyomi," The aspiring writer jumped to attention. "I don't have a title for the story yet. And if I had, the publisher might give it another title.  
But my name is Kanou Koyomi. I hope my novel will please you if it gets published," She bowed politely.

* * *

Several days later we were all assembled at the party for sending off the student-council.

It needn't be mentioned that after factually running the student-council for two years and being the younger sister of Nanami Mio, whom several teachers remembered fondly, the end of my girlfriend's term as student-council president was a momentous occasion to them. And so, the members of the council and a few friends were joined by Oguri-sensei, Tsuji-sensei, and of course, Riko-sensei as our advisor.

It was nice to see Touko enjoy their praise and realize that she had personally earned the love and respect of all the people who were present.  
My girlfriend looked dazzling while she laughed at the jokes and the comments of her former homeroom-teacher and her new one.

What was a little less amusing was how she kept praising me. I don't react well to praise.

"Did you know Yuu is running for student-council president now?" Touko asked Riko-sensei.

"Really?!" Our stylish teacher burst out. "I know you wanted her to, but…"

"Well, for my part I hope the student body votes for continuity. I know you will be a very reliable president, Yuu," Oguri-sensei smiled and showed me a thumbs up while emptying his cup of tea.

"I completely agree," Touko nodded sagely. "I don't know why she changed her mind…"

Another obvious lie.

"... but I can promise you that if she wins, Yuu will surpass me as president in every way."

I glared at Touko with glowing cheeks as she said that. But the teachers didn't notice.

"Oh. Modest as always, Touko," Tsuji-sensei smiled. "Mio would have been as proud as the rest of us at what you have accomplished as student-council president. But I trust in your promise and in the hard-working and reliable student-council representative Yuu has already shown herself to be," She added with a warm smile towards myself.

"And she will have us to support her if she wins the election!" Doujima-kun energetically interrupted my reaction with a teacup in his hand. "Just like in the old student-council. It'll be as if nothing ever changed. Except that we'll miss both of our senpai terribly of course. Hahaha."

"Good," Touko sighed. "I was starting to think you were glad to be rid of us."

"While it is true that things will undoubtedly be a lot duller without Nanami-senpai, I have offered to become Koito-san's Vice-president because I have confidence in her ability to keep the student-council interesting," Maki-kun smiled at Touko and me.

"What do you mean by that, Seji?" Riko-sensei frowned.

"Oh. Just that Nanami-senpai managed to have us get the work done while maintaining a fun atmosphere," The scoundrel voyeur grinned. "Koito-san will be a little more serious as student-council president, I think. But we will still have a good time regardless."

"I don't think you will have to worry about that, Seji," Riko-sensei smiled encouragingly at me while Saeki-senpai and Koyomi, who had been talking together and were briefly accosted by Oguri-senpai, joined our group. "Yuu will have plenty of opportunities to spice the student-council up a little."

"Absolutely," I began. "For starters, as we agreed…"

"She'll spice things up alright! People grossly underestimate how lively Yuu can get when properly rewarded!"

Oguri-sensei and Tsuji-sensei frowned at my broadly grinning girlfriend who rocked from left to right with her hands resting on her back, but Riko-sensei blushed as obviously as I did.

"Tou… Touko…" I muttered quietly.

Koyomi, Maki-kun, and Saeki-senpai just smiled knowingly.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Maki-kun, Doujima-kun, and I sat down in my room still dressed in our uniforms to discuss our plans.

"So how do we profile ourselves compared to the other candidates?" Maki-kun asked.

I handed him and Doujima-kun a neat bundle of papers each and kept one for myself.

"Here is the speech Koyomi prepared."

"Where is Kanou-san?" Doujima-kun asked. "Shouldn't she be here?"

"Technically, yes. But she couldn't be here. We'll get together again before the presentation of our campaign Thursday. She'll join us then," I replied. "Our best shot is to present ourselves as a continuity of the previous student-council but accentuate a few things that we want to concentrate on, like organizing that study-group. That's a nice idea, Doujima-kun."

"Thank you, Miss President," The bespectacled boy sitting to my left laughed as he rubbed the back of his head.

"You want that aquarium-club, right," Maki-kun asked with a focused look as he rested the tip of his pencil against his lower lip. "Since we are a continuation of the previous student-council it might get us a slight popularity boost if we - without making any big statements - spread the impression that we had some influence in how the school decided to use the extra funding.  
We should mention the coming campaign for the new club a lot."

Doujima-kun and I shared a look. Then we looked at Maki-kun. Then we looked at each other again.

" Maki-kun?" I asked.

"Yes?" My Vice-president frowned innocently.

"I'm happy that you wanted to join me."

"So am I," He smiled.

"Why did you decide to become Vice-president, Seji-kun?" Doujima asked. "I didn't think being in the middle of everything would be your thing."

"I know!" Maki-kun laughed. "I wouldn't have agreed to it normally, and I'm still a bit nervous. But I was texting Koito-san a while ago and she was talking about how you have to be prepared to venture out of your safe zone to pursue the things that bring you joy. That really inspired me."

I rolled my eyes at the insinuating smile he flashed me. Then, unexpectedly early I heard a few knocks on the door.

"Come in!"

"Hello everyone," My sister greeted my guests with a big smile as she entered the room holding a wooden tray with a thee pot, cups and a saucer with cookies. "Mother told me you're up here planning your campaign for student-council president, Yuu. So I thought I'd bring these up for your friends."

"Hello, Rei-chan. This is my older sister," I told my friends. "This handsome boy is Doujima-kun, I smoothly told my sister as I held out a hand towards him while smiling winsomely. And here is my future vice-president, Maki Seji."

"Oh. I heard my sister mention you before. I'm pleased to meet you."

"So are we!" My guests agreed in unison.

Rei-chan frowned and turned to me again.

"You probably shouldn't try to adopt Touko's mannerisms and behave all jovial and cheerful, Yuu. You're not very good at that sort of thing."

"I was just about to say the same," Maki-kun nodded sagely.

"Yes. Better behave naturally. People like you the way they know you," Doujima-kun agreed.

"Thanks for the cookies and tea, Rei-chan. See you later," I grinned in annoyance.

"So… What is your campaign focusing on?" My sister inquired as she leaned forward and tried to look over Maki-kun's shoulder to see what he'd written down.

"Goodbye, Rei-chan!" I repeated.

"That's good," My meddlesome relative smiled approvingly while she read. "Relying on your strengths while getting out there with a few things that set you apart. That's smart."

"Thank you," Maki-kun smiled.

"That is your or Doujima-san's idea, isn't it? Pretending the school is providing the clubs with extra funding because of your input?" My sister continued.

"Yes," Maki-kun said. "That's mine."

"Nice…" Rei-chan grinned as she stood upright again and folded her arms. "You're sneaky, aren't you. Yuu needs someone like you on her team."

"I know," My Vice-president agreed as he turned around and smiled up to the young woman in the jeans and the green sweater behind him. "Yuu-chan is a bunch of fun. But she's such a good girl. I bet she never colored outside the lines as a toddler."

"God, no," Rei-chan chuckled with him. "Yuu is such an insufferable good girl. I thank Touko for hopefully saving her from the life of a traffic-cop or an accountant."

"Goodbye, Rei-chan!"

"If we were living in a country that was open to it I could see her join the clergy," Maki-kun laughed.

"Hahaha! Can you see Yuu as a Miko?" Rei-chan replied.

I could suddenly imagine very vividly what life might have been like with a younger brother. Thank you, mom and dad, for sparing me.

"You know. It's a pity you haven't got a boyfriend, Koito-san!" Doujima-kun silenced us all. "You could have him participate in the campaign, telling everyone how cute you are and stuff like that. Just like Hyuuga-san did for me when she introduced me to her friend of the basketball club."

Maki-kun, my sister and me each shared a knowing look and I bribed them into never mentioning to Touko what Doujima-kun had said.

Not long after that my sister left us and we continued brainstorming until we heard another series of knocks on the door.

"Ah!" I jumped up with a smile. "That'll be Kotoko and Mai. You can come in!"

"Sorry for intruding!" A girl with a long blank ponytail and a freckled girl with spiky short blonde hair called out as they opened the door.u

"These are Maeda Kotoko and Nakahara Mai," I got up and introduced my kouhai at middle school and now also in high school.

"And I am Sonomura…"

"Natsuki!" I joyfully exclaimed.

The two of us high-five boisterously as the three girls came in still dressed in their club-uniforms.

"I was in the neighborhood and ran into these two traitors," Natsuki smiled while she pointed at our kouhai. "So after they told me their plans I thought I'd see what you're up to in here, future president."

"Don't call us traitors, senpai," Kotoko pouted.

"Yes, we're allowed to switch sports if we want to," Mai agreed.

"Yeah, yeah," The girl with the short black hair smirked as she rubbed both girl's heads. "But I'm allowed to bear you all a little grudge for not joining the softball team at my high school."

The four of us laughed heartily with Natsuki's joke and I invited Mai and Kotoko to sit down.

"Oh! I haven't introduced my friends yet," I remembered. "These are Doujima Suguru and Maki Seji."

"Hello, Doujima-senpai!" Kotoko and Mai greeted, sitting down on either side of Doujima-kun.

"Oh right, you probably already met through Akari," I reflected while scratching my head.

"Nice to meet you, Maki-senpai!"

"Nice to meet you two," Natsuki grinned as she sat down next to Maki-kun. "So, who's going to be Yuu's right-hand man in this adventure of hers?"

Doujima-kun and I waited for our friend to speak up, but for some reason, Maki-kun just sat there staring at Natsuki.

"Maki-kun?" I gently tried while leaning forward a little.

Natsuki turned her gaze towards him and smiled.

"So you are the lucky man who will take care of my friend's budding political career!" She grinned. "You'll have your work cut out for you, young man. It will take some training to get Yuu prepped to smile for a picture and such."

Maki-kun just grinned stupidly.

"We've been over that stuff," I deadpanned while crossing my arms. "Maki-kun, Doujima-kun and me agreed that it would be best if I just act natural."

"That's a good decision," Natsuki whispered while patting an apparently sweating Maki-kun on the shoulder. "If that was your suggestion, Maki-kun, I can rest assured that my friend is in good hands."

"Hey?" I frowned "Why are you wearing that butterfly pin in your hair?" I asked my old friend.

Natsuki casually touched the pink-and-purple pin close to her left ear with a blank look on her face while Maki-kun kept staring at her.

"I saw it in a shop and thought it looked cute."

"Why are you wearing stuff like that? You never used to."

Natsuki stared at me.

"What's with that? I can't wear cute things?" She returned.

I stared back and huffed.

"Whatever. I'm going to go get us some fresh tea and extra cups," I said as I took the wooden tray and opened the door.

* * *

While in the kitchen I remembered Maki-kun's idea about the extra club and reflected that we would do good to do proper research into how we could best promote the aquarium club compared to the other possibilities.  
Maki-kun would be sure to have some ideas, I figured. Maybe Rei-chan can help me too. She's an underhand kind of person.

"What are you giving me that strange look for?" My sister frowned while she was busy preparing dinner.

"Nothing," I answered and went upstairs to my room again.

* * *

"Sorry for intruding," I said as I entered my own room. "Here are tea and cookies for everyone."

"Sorry, Yuu," Natsuki smiled as she pulled a morose Maki-kun to his feet. "Maki-kun and I are going to hit some balls," The blackette grinned as she rubbed my vice-president's hair. "See you later!"

I watched the two of them close the door behind them and quietly poured tea for Kotoko, Mai, Doujima-kun, and me.

Then I took a deep breath and looked around the room.

Eventually, my eyes landed on Doujima-kun's face.

We stared into each other's eyes for half a minute before I asked him: "What just happened?"

* * *

That same moment Koyomi was sitting at Sayaka's low table writing on her laptop with her girlfriend's cat Akemi snoring, rolled into a ball against her right leg.

Sayaka was sitting in her fauteuil facing the blackette as she read her novel.

The brunette's other cat, Hoshi was lying on the table close to his mistress and purred happily as he looked up for a moment at his mistress who was wearing a light-green dress and a beige Aran sweater.

The steady soft tickety-tick of the aspiring novelist's fingers on her keyboard entered the dreams of the two slumbering felines as the pitter-patter of mice feet and the sliding of a page as the wings of a sparrow.

The contented pair had been enjoying the last couple of days like this.  
It had been nice when their mistresses studied together or talked - although there was some jealousy when their younger mistress got their original mistress to sit on a cushion on the floor and give her a lap-pillow instead of them - with some music in the background, or when their younger mistress played with them and patted them while their original mistress read a newspaper.  
But these past afternoons had been a new delight.

Sayaka finished a chapter and looked at the frowning face of her girlfriend, who seemed to be hunting for inspiration or grammar.

"It certainly is an interesting story," The brunette gently spoke with her eyes on the manuscript in her hands.

Koyomi looked up from her laptop with a blank expression.

"I can see your improvement from the first story you entered in the competition. And it seems historically accurate. The attention to detail is admirable. I remember you telling me about the research you put into this, but it really shows in the story."

A big smile appeared on the face of the girl in the blue jeans shirt and pale pink wide-leg trousers.  
Koyomi knew Sayaka would appreciate historical accuracy most of all.

"Although, I don't remember from what I know of the era that _Tomoe Gozen wore her beautiful pink-hued light-brown hair, which reminded one of a cherry tree in full bloom as the sun shone upon it, in a pair of elegant braids_," Sayaka timidly remarked.

"Tha… That is… some artistic license," Koyomi muttered as her eyes glanced over the edge of her laptop.

"And your descriptions of how Minamoto no Yoshinaka struggles to keep from gazing at the _hypnotizing curves_ of Tomoe Gozen's _leopard-like body _are quite vivid."

"Hmm-hmm," Koyomi blushed. "When you are writing, the things that are on your mind a lot tend to have a big influence on your story."

"I hope you realized by now that I'm not the kind of person to _grab hold of her commander and look at him in such a stern and adoring way that his heart is filled with a thirst to conquer their mother country in her name_," Sayaka spoke, conscious of her agitated heart, as she looked at her girlfriend who was blushing with downcast eyes.

" N… No… Of course not," Koyomi shook her head as she recovered from her embarrassment. "My feelings for you informed my portrayal of Tomoe Gozen, but I am aware of the difference between you and he…"

"But I am prepared to _reward hard work and passionate endeavor with a kind word and an approving smile_," Sayaka spoke in a sultry voice as she stroked the cheek of her arrested and upward gazing girlfriend with her left hand.

She hadn't been able to help herself. Koyomi's embarrassment had been too enticing. But now they were face to face and she was aware of her own embarrassing behavior the brunette's face turned bright red in turn.

"Th.. This isn't something I would normally do, you s…"

Before she was able to pull her hand away and sit down again Koyomi took Sayaka's hand in hers and kissed her passionately.

The shorter girl got up from the floor and navigated the low table she had been working at while she cupped her girlfriend's face in her hands.  
As their erect bodies pressed close together Sayaka's arms encircled the blackette's shoulder and waist while Koyomi used her left arm to pull the taller girl close to her and longingly kissed her again and again while caressing the back of her head.

Hoshi and Akemi looked up with sleepy eyes at the affectionate interaction and continued their nap. This was another thing their mistresses did often. It was nice too.


	3. Chapter 3

The first conquest and preparations for the final battle

* * *

few days later Koyomi and me were sitting side by side at a table in the hallway leading to the school's cafeteria.  
A banner displaying people watching a hound shark in an aquarium while a girl was patting a turtle, two people engaged in a kendo bout, and two people playing chess, craftily painted by Saeki-senpai with help from Doujima-kun hung over us.

"Since the school already announced its plans to the student populace I can't really say you are doing anything wrong with the way you have been weaving the coming campaign for the new club into your election campaign," Riko-sensei scolded as she annoyedly tapped her foot on the floor in front of me while Koyomi was explaining the finer details of the planned study-group to two first-years. "But it does feel dishonest towards the other candidates to promote yourself in such a way."

"Please look at it like this way, Riko-sensei," Maki-kun, who was busy distributing campaign flyers to passing students together with Doujima-kun, Mai, and Kotoko smiled. "We are trying to build up the enthusiasm of the student body for the club-election early. And at the same time, we want to show that we are determined to organize a smoothly-run event and objectively inform our fellow students about the three options."

"Hmm… If you explain it like that I suppose there is good logic behind it," Riko-sensei frowned. "Alright then. I wish you all good luck."

Maki-kun and I quietly watched our teacher walk towards the cafeteria and relaxed with a sigh.

"Thanks, Maki-kun. You really are good at this kind of thing," I smiled.

"That's why I agreed to become your vice-president, after all," He smiled back while he handed a flyer to a girl with braided brown hair.

"What a well-organized campaign you're running on such short notice," Touko complimented with a teasing grin as she came and stood beside me with her hands behind her back.

"We did all of this before, after all," I glanced at her. "It was probably a lot easier for us to get our act together than it was for the other candidates to figure things out for themselves."

"Even though Riko-sensei has been an excellent guide to us all," Koyomi added before she was accosted by two boys who came to ask about the election for the new club.

"Explain it how you will," Touko said. "The professionalism of your campaign isn't going unnoticed."

The two of us looked at my supporters who were busy approaching hungry students.

"I predicted you would be the favorite of the teachers and the older students," She smiled at me. "But word about your dependable and kind nature is getting out among the first-year students too."

"Don't talk as if Koito-san has already won, Touko," Saeki-senpai scolded as she came and stood beside Koyomi. "If you want to be assured of victory you have to fight all the way."

"I know that," I grumbled. "Of course I know that."

At that moment a first-year came to ask me about what it's like to be a student-council member and I told him about my experiences.

"Are you doing okay?" Sayaka asked her girlfriend in a worried tone after Koyomi had sent the two boys she had been talking to - one of which had been a little flirtatious with her - on their way. "If you tell me what you want I'll bring you something to eat and drink from the cafeteria."

Koyomi looked at her girlfriend and smiled as she saw the expression on her face.

"Thank you, Saeki-senpai. We have all been very busy promoting Yuu," She sighed. "And it was a little frustrating when I came up with ideas for my story and couldn't write them down during breaks because I had to go campaigning. But I've managed to remember everything until I got home so far."

"Geez. I'm not talking about that," Sayaka sulked. "I want to know how you feel to be standing in the spotlight like this?"

"Oh!" Koyomi slightly blushed. "I was nervous about this at first, and I have been stumbling through it for the most part, but it hasn't been nearly as nerve-racking as I'd feared."

"You think you are stumbling through this?" Her girlfriend replied with a raised eyebrow. "I had the impression you were very eloquent and informative to those two boys you talked to earlier. They seemed happy with what you told them too."

"You are just trying to make me feel good, Saeki-senpai," Yuu's campaign manager smiled happily as she looked ahead in order to master her expanding grin.

Sayaka frowned and regarded the blackette who kindly greeted two classmates who just passed by.  
The brunette thought that Koyomi had changed from the impression she at least formed of her during the sporadic times they talked in the first half of the previous school year.

She thought her girlfriend's writing and social skills had improved a lot. And the girl who loved her had also been getting better grades overall since they became a couple.

But it wasn't just Koyomi. Sayaka looked around at the people she had become friends with since she started school at Tohmi Higashi High. Every one of them had changed. Some more than others. And those changes hadn't occurred just at an academic level.  
School life had countless factors in it that helped a student to grow and expand their world.

It was a really fascinating process, Sayaka felt. All of her fellow students were going through so much change and interaction.  
It was scary and sometimes it was painful. But just as often it was exciting and intriguing.  
She suddenly reflected on how she loved this life. The acquisition of knowledge, the bustle in the hallways, the bonding in the clubs, the pursuits some students like Koyomi had outside of school that somehow were still tied to the life they led in the school building.

It was an important and challenging pursuit to help and guide people during those changes and endeavors.

"Thank you for noticing, senpai," Koyomi smiled up at her. "It's one of the things I admire most about you how you are so observant of everyone around you. It's one of the things you are most loved for. It makes people feel safe to know that there is someone like you around."

* * *

Touko was humming merrily to herself on her way to the school's sports hall.  
Things were going well for her: I was energetically on my way to becoming my girlfriend's successor and the rehearsals for her theater troupe's new play were going great.

When she walked into the hall many seats were already occupied.  
The former student-council president was greeted by many of the students present. Even some of the first years had become acquainted with her reputation and she was aware that being known as her favorite alone would garner me many votes.

My girlfriend spotted the object of her affection sitting next to her best friend's girlfriend on chairs behind the rows that would be occupied by the main student body during the election speeches.

She reflected on how she should be relaxed about the election. But in her words: she really wanted me to realize how suited I was to this kind of function, so even though nothing was at stake for herself she couldn't help feel jittery.  
Her assumption was that I would no doubt be dealing better with the entire ordeal.

"Hello, you two!" Touko cheerfully greeted as she approached Koyomi and me. "How are you doing?"

Her expression changed into one of surprise when she saw my face. It wouldn't have been obvious to most people but my girlfriend could tell that I wasn't in the best of moods.

"Me?" I slowly answered. "I don't care anymore. They can have their stupid Kendo club. I just want this over with."

"Apparently she slept only three hours last night," Koyomi quietly informed. "She's a little cranky right now, but she's thankfully been able to hide it from everyone else."

"Poor Yuu," Touko muttered.

My girlfriend looked at me for half a minute, the expression on her face becoming increasingly animated. Then she pulled me up.

"Let's go to the ladies' room for a few minutes," She whispered in my ear.

"Huh?" I reacted as she pulled me along. "But I already went."

When we got to the sports hall's dressing room Touko pushed me into a cubicle and came in with me.

"What are you…?!" I started in surprise as I turned around. I was instantly embraced and my girlfriend leaned her head on my right shoulder.

"I'm so sorry, Yuu!" She whined. "I couldn't stand it anymore. I wanted to hug you."

"Well… That's allowed." I blushed.

My girlfriend's hair and uniform smelled nice. Touko's body felt warm, so I decided to mirror her.  
We stood in the cubicle resting our heads on each other's shoulder while Touko gently rocked me left to right.

"You know you have nothing to worry about, don't you?" She whispered.

"I know I have a good shot," I pouted. "But everyone knows I want an aquarium club, so people who support either of the other two options won't vote for me."

"I can actually promise you that only a very limited number of people outside of your class know that you personally want the aquarium club to win," My beautiful girlfriend with the long black hair told me as she caressed my hair, cheek, and chin and gently kissed me. "And of the people that do, everyone is convinced you will honestly and impartially promote all three options after you are elected. That's the reputation you have, Yuu-tan."

That kind of attention was succeeding in making me feel better and less tired and we kissed and fondled one another for a while.

"You are by far everyone's favorite, Yuu," Touko told me at last while looking at me adoringly. "I told you that before and I have been casually taking survey among all of our fellow students. So don't worry."

"Well… Maybe it's not so bad that you wanted me to do this so badly," I smiled.

"Are the two of you still in here?" Saeki-senpai's voice unexpectedly called out and made us stiffen in each other's arms.

"Everyone is getting ready for the speeches. Kanou-san sent me to fetch you," She scolded us when we came out of the cubicle looking embarrassed before checking ourselves in the mirror.

"Thank you for coming to get us, Sayaka," Touko bowed.

"I'm not too thrilled about the fact that I of all people had to come for you because you were busy cuddling," Her friend huffed before she smiled: "But it goes without saying that the two of you would be lost without our help, so we gladly put up with this kind of thing for your sakes."

* * *

About fifteen minutes later we sat in the crowded sports hall watching Koyomi ascend the stage.

When she took place behind the microphone my campaign manager smiled as her eyes found those of her girlfriend.

"I don't think I have to introduce my senpai Nanami Touko, the previous student-council president, to most of you," She began. "Nanami-senpai has de facto led the previous two student-councils with great skill and attention to the needs of both the staff and the student body.

If Tohmi Higashi High was a Kingdom I think everyone would agree with me that we have been ruled by a Queen who was rightly loved by all."

I smiled as I remembered how Touko had led the student-council last year.  
We had experienced difficult times back then but we also had many good times.  
Touko had made her function seem easy, but I knew how much work she used to put in and what a variety of talents she displayed during her tenure. I silently wished that if I was elected I would be able to be a worthy successor.

"If you have a jewel in your possession and you neglect to show it the care and appreciation it is due you will lose it. A fact that Nanami-senpai was made aware of not too long ago, haha."

Touko sweat-dropped as she glanced from the amusedly chuckling Koyomi to her kouhai's suddenly violently blushing girlfriend next to her.

"But that is not the case here. We all love our former student-council president and would worry about who could be qualified enough to replace her. We would worry that is if we didn't know that Koito Yuu has learned what the function entails under Nanami-senpai's own guidance.

I have personally worked with the previous student-council on the student-council play, which I will be happy to help the new student-council with coming autumn, and I have seen first-hand how much Nanami-senpai relied on Koito Yuu.  
Tohmi Higashi High's staff and third and second-year students have experienced Koito Yuu's great capabilities and honest hard-working nature during her time as a highly dedicated student-council member.

But Koito Yuu wants to be more than a smooth transition from the past, that is why she has assembled talented students who worked under Nanami-senpai's guidance with her as well as talented and dedicated first-year students.

Koito Yuu wants to be a worthy successor to Nanami Touko, but she will at the same time listen to the concerns of our new fellow students and work together with teachers and our school's governing body to further improve your experience as students at the warm and caring community that is beautiful Tohmi Higashi High. Thank you."

Under more than polite applause Koyomi came down from the stage while I climbed the stairs at the side of the stage to take her place and talk about my goals and plans as student-council president.

As I stood in front of all of my fellow students and our teachers I thought to myself that if I was elected I would work hard not to disappoint the girl who was smiling so reassuringly at me from among the people sitting before me.

But considering the other very capable candidates for the position, I was at that moment not so certain of my chances anymore.

* * *

The bronze statue of Tada Kasuke in Jokyo Gimin Memorial Museum radiated a feeling of peace and tranquility in stark contrast to the last weeks of the man's life.

Sayaka quietly read the five articles that made up the appeal the village head of Nakagaya village and the local peasants had made at the magistrate's office in Matsumoto.

"Is historical drama a genre that interests you a lot?" She asked her girlfriend who finally came back from her chat with the director and the actors who performed the afternoon play they had watched depicting the Jokyo uprising in the museum's theater.

"I don't plan on pursuing the genre if that's what you mean?" The brunette's girlfriend who was wearing a black beret and long-sleeved shirt and grey and white striped trousers said. "But I had planned on submitting a historical drama for the competition, and since I'm not submitting my Tomoe Gozen novel I had to write another one."

Sayaka rested her hands on her back and frowned at the girl next to her.

"You don't HAVE to submit another historical drama," She said.

"It would bother me otherwise," Koyomi replied in an annoyed tone.

"So you are like that?" Her girlfriend in the grey leggings and dark-green dress teased.

The two of them watched a handful of people come into the museum via dark double doors.

"I think the uprising is a great subject for a story," Koyomi said as she followed the museum's new visitors with her eyes.

"I think you're right," Her girlfriend said. "It's a story about people who tried to claim basic human rights at the expense of their lives. And hundreds of years later they helped inspire a greater movement."

"We better leave now if we want to be home in time for dinner," Koyomi reminded the brunette after checking her watch.

Sayaka nodded and led the way out.

"I feel I succeeded in portraying Tada Kasuke and Suzuki Iori very well. I think I'll have to tweak my Oshun a little after watching the play, but on the whole, I'm pretty satisfied with my portrayal of all the people involved in the uprising," The blackette wearing the black beret on her head pondered aloud.

"It's a very sad story isn't it?"

Koyomi regarded her girlfriend who was looking ahead with a frown.

"In the end, all the villagers who stood with Kasuke were executed," Sayaka continued.

"Yes," The brunette's girlfriend replied as they passed a corner. "It is a very sad story. That is why I consider it my most important task to not allow the people who had Kasuke and his followers executed win.  
Because that's what I would do if my story carried the cautionary message the domain executives intended the execution to be.

I am trying as much as possible to focus on the bravery and inspirational power of the farmers who tried to get their Daimyo to retract the murderous tax his executives had burdened them with.  
My framing story about Matsuzawa Kyusaku which links their struggle to the freedom and people's rights movement of the 1870s serves exactly that purpose."

"That's what makes me sad I think. I feel that our struggle is related to theirs. So many of us still have to fight every day for basic human rights."

Koyomi looked Sayaka in the eyes.

"Our struggle?" She asked with a blank face.

"Yes," The brunette frowned "Our struggle to be able to get married, get recognized as the parent of one another's children from an earlier marriage and so on. Aren't those basic human rights too?"

Sayaka saw her girlfriend color and take her beret in both hands to hide her face.

"I… I haven't even been thinking of something like marriage…" The girl muttered.

"I didn't mean us specifically!" Sayaka hurriedly explained. "I mean same-sex couples in general."

"Oh…" Her slightly deflated kouhai reacted.

"Still…" Koyomi began after they walked for about a minute in silence. "Equal rights for our people are important, but in most cases, our lives and the lives of our loved ones aren't directly threatened by the unjust laws we would like to see altered."

"That's true," Sayaka replied. "That doesn't make it less important a struggle though."

"You and I have it pretty good the way we live now, haven't we? Thanks to the open-minded nature of your parents we practically live like a married couple."

"That… That's true," Sayaka faltered momentarily. "But not everyone has it as good as we do. It's not like same-sex couples are treated the same as mixed-sex couples just because the two of us have it good now. And there are many people whose lives are threatened because of whom they love."

"I know that," Koyomi grimaced. "Of course I know that. And I know that the only way we can get those laws altered is by organizing ourselves and by actively appealing to legislators.  
I'm just saying I'm happy that we have it so good. But I am well aware that we shouldn't allow ourselves to be lulled into a feeling that we've come a long way and should be happy with what our people have achieved."

They paused their conversation at a crossroads. After they started walking again Sayaka picked up where they had left off.

"Just look at Yuu," She smirked. "If she can run for office over such selfish reasons and win, we are more than justified in trying to better our situations through political means."

"That's right," Koyomi smiled in response. "And like Kasuke, knowing full well what might happen if we do, we should never be afraid or feel too uncomfortable to do things like this."

Sayaka was aware that her girlfriend had taken her hand in hers.

She was also aware that her girlfriend's hand was warm and slightly sweaty.

"You know… I have been spending a lot of nights sleeping over at your house lately. I was thinking maybe we should have a sleepover at my house next week or so?" Koyomi asked with studied carelessness.

Sayaka wondered what it was that was going to make her say yes.

She knew that if she didn't honestly refuse Koyomi's proposal they would be crossing a line they shouldn't. She knew that she should have told her kouhai by now that she was fully convinced that their relationship had no future.

But as Koyomi had said: They were having it good. Sayaka always had a warm body nearby. Someone to share many of her interests with. Someone to make museum visits with and go to theaters with, which Sayaka had been enjoying more and more lately.

She wasn't ready to exchange the lifestyle she had with Koyomi for the loneliness of before. And as much as she knew it was wrong Sayaka found it too easy for her comfort to reason that she was making Koyomi happy by staying with her.

* * *

"If everybody is present I declare this final council of war of the Koito-san student-council administration on the subject of the election for the new club opened," Maki-kun announced as he hit a coaster with a rubber mallet he had brought from home.

"Riiight…" I sweat-dropped. "I'm pleased to see you take such satisfaction in your role as vice-president."

I looked around at the other student-council members gathered at the table in the student-council building.  
Maki-kun sat to my left and Doujima-kun to my right. Opposite use sat Mai and Kotoko, with Koyomi sitting opposite Maki-kun completing our current team.

Mai and Kotoko decided among themselves to become permanent members when I won the election because basketball didn't really suit them after all.  
It's not as if we really needed them, because a lot of people joined on a loose agreement who since then have proved good on their promise to help out whenever they could.

"Why are you here, Kanou-san?" Doujima-kun inquired in his boisterous way. "I thought you didn't have time to join the council because of your writing career."

My friend with the black bob stared at us with an embarrassed grimace.

"I find myself unable to concentrate on my writing since Saturday," She admitted quietly. "So I thought attending the student-council meetings would help to divert me from certain thoughts…"

"Did something happen Saturday?" I asked with concern, knowing that she and Saeki-senpai had gone on one of their museum visits together.

"Not exactly, no…" Koyomi blushed and leaned her face on her arms.

"Oh! I understand," Maki-kun nodded with a smile. "Yes. That can be a little difficult, waiting for that day."

"What day?" I frowned at him.

"You know, Yuu? Don't you?" He leaned closer to me. "When you silently agree to meet that day and it's a little torturous because until then your mind is occupied by one thing only…"

"Oh yes. I see," I nodded sagely.

"Just for the record, you're not helping," Koyomi whined with her face pressed into her resting arms.

"Ah, I know what they're talking about!" Mai and Kotoko nodded to each other.

"I'm sorry and not sorry for you, Kanou-san," Doujima-kun chuckled. "I hope Friday will be upon you quickly."

"Wait a minute!" I suddenly exclaimed and looked pointedly at a surprised Maki-kun. "How do you know what she's talking about?"

My vice-president squirmed nervously under my gaze.

"I just… You know I am knowledgeable about these things from observation. Purely from observation."

For some reason, I remembered how Natsuki used to surprise me by spanking my bottom with a wet towel in the showers after a softball match back in middle school and my eye twitched for a moment.

"Alright then. Let's get on to business," I finally concluded the subject.

Since the school approved of our idea to promote the different options for a new club through a series of after school presentations we have divided the work on getting these presentations organized.

Doujima-kun?"

"Yes, president! My father's friends will be here tomorrow after school with enough armor and shinai to allow a fair amount of students to take part in a short kendo practice. They will arrive in time to unload all of their equipment and have it ready in the clubroom when club activities start."

"Thank you, Doujima-kun. Maki-kun?"

"My friends from middle school will be here Wednesday with several chess sets and we will set up tables in the club room after the kendo equipment is cleared off tomorrow evening."

"Splendid," I smiled. "On my part, I have made arrangements with the alumni who owns an aquarium shop in town.  
He will arrive out front in about an hour to deliver: A tank containing clownfish, bubble tip anemone, and gobbies. A tank with Kuhli loach, neon tetras, moonlight gourami, and red cherry shrimp. A tank with a few reeve's turtles. And lastly: a salamander terrarium.

I am pleased to have been spoken to by twelve students, most of whom have an aquarium at home, who will help us with the placement of the tanks and will care for the animals in the coming days."

"Sounds like your dream might come true after all," Maki-kun smiled at me.

"Yes," I grinned. "Things are looking good. I think it's a good idea to have the aquarium presentation as last so that it has the most lasting impression. But there really isn't much we can do to promote it over the other options. The animals and our twelve enthusiasts will have to allure the visitors to the best of their ability."

Mai, Kotoko, and Koyomi smiled at me.

"None of us ever really expected you to play this dirty, Yuu," The latter said. "But with all of the effort you put in to give the aquarium club proposal the best chance it can get I am sure it will appeal to a lot of students."

"Yeah," I nodded.

"If there is no more to be said on the subject of the club election I propose we move on to the organization of the study group," Maki-kun stated.

"Yes. We have been granted the use of four classrooms for Japanese, English, social studies, and exact sciences," I said.

"One question that came to me is how we will organize the cleanup," Doujima-kun interjected. "It is a bit of a bother to ask the tutors to take care of that. But at the same time, we have our own work here after school."

"I'll fill our tea-cups up," Mai said as she got up while Koyomi was leaning her face on her arms again with a slightly feverish look, no doubt imagining all kinds of things involving a naked Saeki-senpai.

"It would be awkward if we asked the tutors to get on their knees and lift their skirt in order to mop the floor, senpai!" Kotoko spoke up. "But we have all those part-time student-council members who agreed to do the legwork for us whenever they are available. Can't we work out a schedule between them?"

"That may seem smooth and pleasing," Maki-kun said as he played with a pencil. "But it's guaranteed to become very messy if we try that for real."

"Koito-senpai!" Mai called out to me. "Where can I find some milk? The tea is a little too hot on the tongue for my liking."

"There is an unopened brick of milk in the chest by the bookshelf, Mai!" I replied.

"This chest is quite luxurious," The girl with the black ponytail observed. "It's so beautiful and the texture is so soft and smooth."

"What are all of you even talking about?" Koyomi whined.

"I think the most practical solution would be to ask the people participating in the study-groups to divide the clean-up among them and have the tutor remind them that they are receiving a free service for which they are offering up their free time," I said. "After all, it's only because of the people who agreed on devoting their time to the accumulation of knowledge that we are able to organize these study-groups."

"I just hope the tutors we found are able to discover the different needs of the participants and help them appropriately," Maki-kun pondered. "It's one thing to tutor a private student, but not everyone has the ability to be so observant of every member of a group."

Koyomi slowly lifted her eyes to us and became attentive to our conversation.

"True. And we still need someone to tutor the exact sciences group," Kotoko reminded the rest of us as she arrived with the tea and milk.

"We've asked for volunteers in every class," I frowned. "It's hard to find someone who is that good at math, physics, biology, and chemistry and is willing to help out several fellow-students who suck at it."

"It has to be someone who is pretty altruistic," Doujima-kun sighed. "I don't know where we can find someone like that."

"I can find someone!" Koyomi startled us.

We all turned our eyes on her, thinking she looked suddenly very animated after her lethargic state of earlier.

"I… I think I know who can help you out," my friend with the black bob said with an excited smile.

* * *

Miyako placed the coffee ordered by the frowning girl in the dark-blue dress over a white shirt on the counter before her with a kind smile.

"It's nice to see you again since a certain someone has been occupying so much of your time lately that you rarely visit anymore. But I'm sorry to see you with such a clouded mind," She said.

"Oh. I'm sorry, Kodama-san!" Sayaka exclaimed, embarrassed that she kept coming to the busy manager when she was having troubling thoughts. "I apologize for always bothering you with my problems. You only know my selfish side."

"Well, someone has to," Miyako chuckled. "And your selfish side is still quite considerate. So I'd be a bear to feel insulted by it."

Sayaka looked up at the sincere smile of her older friend and brightened up a little.

"Take a sip of your coffee," Miyako advised her. "You'll feel better. I added an extra chocolate tablet for you. Don't tell anyone I'm playing favorites," The woman whispered conspiratorily.

Sayaka giggled and drank from her cup.

"So, what's troubling you? It might bother you to come to me with it, but it's a fact that people who man a bar have been relied on to listen to the problems of others for centuries. So let go of your inhibitions and trust me."

"K...Kanou-san wants to have sex with me," Sayaka blushed.

Miyako couldn't help be taken aback for a second by the honesty of what she was hearing.

"So… That's a pretty big step," She smiled. "Do you think you're up to it? Is she really up to it? Young people often think they have to take that step when they don't actually want to."

"I don't think she is forcing herself or wants to use sex as a way to… Koyomi isn't like that. And I've been aware that she has been thinking about it for a while."

"And what about you?"

Sayaka blushed again and looked timidly at the experienced woman in front of her.

"I'm… curious. But I feel bad about doing it with Koyomi," She said as she stared at her cup again.

"It's alright to have conflicting feelings about it," Miyako frowned and tilted her head. "Why do you feel bad about it?"

Sayaka had a hard time admitting what she was struggling with to anyone but Kanou-san herself. The fact that all of their friends who knew they were a couple were convinced they were happy together was now forced into her awareness and made her feel more guilty than ever.

A few tears started to trickle down her cheek.

"I'm so horrible…" She muttered.

"Hey, shhh," Miyako hushed and brought her young friend a few paper napkins. "We both know that's not true. So why don't you tell me what you think you did, because I'm sure it won't be that awful."

Sayaka took the napkins and wiped her eyes. But when she tried to talk more tears poured out and she exhaled with a shudder.

"It's alright, dear girl," Miyako comforted with a concerned look. "Take your time. I'm going to help that last group who look like they're ready to leave and close the front door so we can talk more privately."

By the time Cafe Echo's manager came back Sayaka had calmed down and was stirring her empty cup with her spoon.

"Here's another one," Miyako said as she placed a new cup on the counter and took the empty one away."

"Thank you," Sayaka muttered and sipped her coffee.

Miyako quietly watched her young friend.

"You see…" The brunette began after a minute. "Kanou-san and I had an agreement. She felt attracted to me, but she wasn't sure of her feelings. I told her that I was heartbroken over Touko, but she gently insisted to try dating each other and see what might come of it."

"I understand," The woman with the long dark-brown bob nodded. "That's not a very strange agreement to make at your age.  
Many young people are uncertain about their sexual orientation. It was rather considerate of the two of you to be so honest with each other.  
Though if I had been in your shoes I would have asked her to wait until my heart had healed and maybe just hang out as friends for a while. I remember thinking it seemed a little soon for you to be dating another girl after what you went through."

"I know. But I thought it would cheer me up to be with someone who liked me in that way. Especially when I started to realize that Kanou-san was really falling in love with me.  
I know I should have put an end to our relationship at that time for her sake," Sayaka whined miserably. "But she helped me get over my heartbreak over Touko, and I honestly hoped that I might end up returning her feelings.  
Now I am going to end up breaking her heart and the worst part is that I don't want to."

"What do you mean?" Miyako asked, perplexed by her young friend's last statement.

"I… I'm not ready to give up what we have yet…" Sayaka quietly replied.

Miyako pressed the button to start the dishwasher she had filled during the conversation, but now she came and stood before her downcast last customer with a curious look.  
Neither of them said a word for a while until the woman had formed an idea of the situation and spoke again.

"Only you can know what you want or need when it comes to romantic matters, dear girl… But does your girlfriend know how you feel? Because you should keep up that honesty with her, since she is your girlfriend."

Sayaka looked up and blushed.

"It's… It's like she doesn't even care that I may end up hurting her. She keeps telling me with so much conviction that she'll end up making me fall in love with her…

Kanou-san may look timid and she is in a way… sometimes. But she can be so determined when she wants something," Sayaka sighed.

The brunette drank her coffee without noticing the slight smile that played around the lips of Cafe Echo's manager.

"I'm afraid I can't help you with the decisions you have to make. What I can tell you is that your girlfriend's heart is in good hands."

Sayaka watched her older friend with curiosity at her optimistic view of the matter.

"Don't you think you are both considerate and appreciative of each other and approach your relationship in quite a mature way?" The woman inquired with a smile.

Her young friend opened her lips to talk, but Miyako continued.

"I'm quite certain your girlfriend would feel terrible to know how you have been worrying yourself over her."

The woman raised her eyes towards the door where she saw her own beloved look in through the glass after having knocked.

"If you feel unhappy with Kanou-san I think you should tell her so. If you keep feeling unhappy with her you should leave her, and I know that you will be gentle with her if that happens," Miyako said as she walked over to the door. "But it sounds to me that both of you feel comfortable in your relationship, so it would be a waste to give that up because you decided on your own that it is guaranteed to end in misery."

"Thank you for coming so quickly," Riko sighed as her lover opened the door to her. "It just started raining by the time I arrived here.

Oh? Hello, Sayaka," The woman greeted when she saw her student at the bar.

"Good evening, Hakozaki-sensei. I'm sorry I'm still here so late, but I had something on my mind that I wanted to talk to Kodama-san about."

"It's alright, Sayaka," The girl's teacher sighed with a mild glare as she joined her at the bar. "I trust that you are responsible enough not to become a delinquent. And it appears the three of us will be cooped up here for a while."

"Is there any place you'd rather be than with me?" Miyako grinned as she brought her lover a cup of coffee and leaned in for a kiss.

"Urgh…" Riko moaned and glanced over at her student with a blush before quickly kissing the manager. "I'm just happy I managed to get all of my paperwork done at school so that I can relax now."

"It's been a hell of a time for you hasn't it?" Miyako stated while she went around to clean the tables and lift the tables on top.

"It always is at the beginning of the year, thanks to the student-council elections. But this year I have to deal with those club-elections too since the other teachers act like it's the responsibility of the student-council adviser," Riko grinned. "Not that I mind.  
It's fun to see how excited everyone is. I just hope everyone can be satisfied with the results, and I'm not just talking about the students.  
An aquarium club can be a worthwhile institution for a school, but even with the great deal we have been offered it is still more costly than a kendo club or a chess club."

Sayaka looked at the amused smile of her teacher and was reminded of something she had been pondering lately besides her relationship with Koyomi.

"I'll be happy when it's over, so you're not as tired in the evenings anymore," Miyako said while she took a broom to wipe the floor.

"Is working as a teacher really that hard?" Sayaka asked. "Do you still enjoy it?"

Riko turned to face her student. Her eyes and lips formed an intrigued smile.

"Working as a teacher can be a very demanding job. But that is true of any job in the end. What makes it a job you keep enjoying even when it is at its most demanding depends on whether the work and the life suit you and whether you can find ways to deal with the stress."

Sayaka looked at her teacher's smile and sipped her coffee. She wasn't sure if this was what she was interested in. But somehow she was feeling increasingly attracted to the idea.

"And how do you know whether the work and life might suit you?" She asked.

"I have been wondering if I would receive these questions from you one day, Sayaka," Riko said. "And you're not even the first person who asked me them today."

The brunette frowned at this statement.

"Miyako?" Her teacher called out to Cafe Echo's manager. "I'm sorry to bother you while you are cleaning, but can we each have another coffee? Your little friend and I are going to have a talk."


	4. Chapter 4

Victory and peace-negotiations

* * *

Touko stood next to me watching the visitors to our aquarium presentation pour in through the door.

We had large cardboard information-cards hung up on the walls of the classroom we were allowed to use for the presentation and the now fourteen volunteers who hoped they would soon be part of the new aquarium club stood by in light-blue trousers, skirts, shirts, and T-shirts at the entrance, at each aquarium, and even in the hallway to entertain the people who were waiting for their turn to get in and inform the people in the classroom about the creatures on exhibit.

Against one wall we had a tank with beautiful orange and black clownfish with white tiger-stripes swimming around in an aquarium with pale bubble tip anemones decorating the substrate and bright yellow gobbies for company.

Against the opposite wall, we had an aquarium where little turquoise neon tetras with red bellies navigated the slightly larger almost fluorescent white moonlight gourami who were very enthusiastic about their feeding time but left more than enough for the cute red cherry shrimp and the long Kuhli loach that populated the plants and the substrate.

Near the entrance was an aquarium with a salamander who was just waking up and venturing out of his cave. We had left the lights out in the room but had lighted up the large information cards with office lamps.

In the middle of the room, near the wall opposite the entrance and to the left of which me and my girlfriend stood, was a large aquarium with cute Reeve's turtles the size of a man's hand swimming around or basking in the warmth of a lamp.

A girl with long brown hair was just pushed in by her classmates and one of our volunteers went right for her.

"Do you like salamanders?" The beautiful tall girl with short black hair eagerly asked. I thought it was one of the creepier pick-up lines I ever heard, but the girl she had approached didn't seem to mind.

"You keep heaping success upon success, Yuu," Touko grinned excitedly. "I knew you wouldn't have any problems getting elected as student-council president, but our schoolmates seem to be enchanted with the idea of having an aquarium club at school too."

"You are so sure that everything will work out. You're like a doting mother," I moaned.

"A mother?" My girlfriend cringed. "Is that how you see me?"

"That's how you are behaving," I sulked.

"That's nice. Hearing from your closest friend that you're an old woman," Touko whined. "Don't you think I'm young and sexy?" She whispered.

"O… Of course I do," I whispered back while sweat-dropping. "I think you're the hottest girl I ever saw. But this isn't school talk!"

"Oh! Right!" The tall sexy girl with the long silky black hair and the smooth long legs next to me sprang to attention.

"It is very beautiful here right now. Maybe that's why I am feeling in a romantic mood," She grinned.

"You always get like that whenever we visit the aquarium," I remark.

"That's true. I wonder why that is."

Smiling at the erudite explanations of our enthusiastic volunteer force who talked fluently about the micro-ecosystems we had on display, the ecosystems those creatures were part of in nature and the activities the members of an aquarium club would partake in, the two of us quietly watched the beauty and the love around us.

"If you want to take a break, I'll keep watch over everything in here for you," Koyomi told us as she came closer.

She had been keeping an eye out in the hallway and had come in, observing everything in the room for about ten minutes.

"Technically you're not a student-council member," I gently reprimanded her.

"Okay," My friend simply replied and inched towards the door.

"Ah… Alright. Thanks for your offer," I grimaced. "I'm feeling a little thirsty."

"Are you dealing better with your thing?" Touko innocently asked.

Koyomi colored slightly but managed to keep her composure.

"Yes," She looked at the ceiling in embarrassment. "I've calmed down a little. And being here watching all these beautiful fish and amphibians is really soothing after all. You're right, Yuu," She smiled. "I hope everyone votes for the aquarium club. It would be nice."

"That was a great idea of you to ask Sayaka to tutor the exact sciences study group," Touko said. "You really saved Yuu with that. And I think it's something she would enjoy very much. I know Sayaka didn't really have an idea yet of what she wanted to do after she graduated. So I'm very happy about that. Thank you."

"I'm happy too" Koyomi smiled. "It's funny how we both got the idea into our heads that she would enjoy teaching around the same time. It will be hard work tutoring the study group of course now that she's in her third year. But Saeki-senpai isn't afraid of hard work. And there's no study group during exams."

"Shall we go, Yuu?" Touko asked me.

"We shared a look and after quickly surveying the classroom we thanked Koyomi and promised to be back to give her a break in twenty minutes.

* * *

"I haven't given it a lot of thought, but I'm starting to fear that I'll miss this more than I expected," Touko wistfully smiled while watching the people we passed by.

"You're still here for another year," I said. "You'll be able to experience all of the school activities."

"You know that's not what I'm talking about," My girlfriend grinned. "becoming student-council president has been my goal for so long. And after that, it was organizing the student-council play. These were both goals I had without really wanting to do those things for their own sake…"

I watched Touko observe the basketball club training outside before she pulled a bottle of green tea and a can of milk tea out of the vending machine for us.

"But I actually had so much fun being student-council president!" She continued while opening her can. "It was so much fun to interact with all those people and carry that responsibility and help the teachers out."

My talented girlfriend heaved a satisfied smile and drank her milk tea. It's too easy to forget when you are so close to her and know how flawed she is, but Touko really is amazing. There isn't a person at school who she doesn't know at least superficially and who doesn't think the world of her.

"I enjoy acting very much, but I'm thinking about studying to work in management someday. I don't know which I'll pursue as a career yet, but I'll be happy doing either to make a living."

"On my part, I love watching you on stage," I smiled. "I look forward to seeing you in a larger part."

Touko leaned her back against the wall and chuckled.

"I promised you before, you will enjoy our new play," She grinned seductively.

"I want to see you play the lead one day in a really glamorous outfit," I said while I looked at my girlfriend with sheep's eyes.

"Hmm… Actors don't very often get to wear glamorous outfits on stage," She replied ponderously, then smiled teasingly. "But I'll wear something very nice for the reception afterward if you dress up too."

"Okay. I'll do my best to dazzle you like you dazzle me," I smiled and drank my iced tea. "You still haven't told me what the play is."

"I know," Touko frowned. "I wanted to surprise you. But I kind of want to tell you to be honest."

She drank some more of her milk tea and played with the bottle in her hands. Then, she stood upright and smiled.

"Alright!" Touko said. "I'm playing the role of Tomoyo in Suzue Toshiro's Fireflies.  
That probably doesn't mean much to you. It's a play about lonely people who fail to understand each other or feel emotionally attached to each other.  
My character is a young wife who is driven to adultery because she and her husband don't understand one another. There aren't really any main characters in the play. But I'm on stage a lot and it's a demanding character to play, so I think you'll be pleased."

"Wow!" I smiled admiringly. "You sure are moving up fast."

"That's what your sister said," My girlfriend chuckled. "Nara-sensei was very nervous about letting me play such an important character for a while, but she felt that I had the emotional maturity to understand Tomoyo and portray her vividly. I have a really great understudy, but Nara-sensei says she is confident that I'll make her proud when we perform in three weeks."

We both disposed of our packaging in the nearby trash-collector and leisurely walked back to the temporary aquarium club.

"It's so nice that so many of you have a goal for their future," I remarked. "Koyomi wants to be a writer, you are going into acting or management, Sayaka is considering teaching…"

"I've told you many times why I wanted you to become student-council president, Yuu," My girlfriend smiled as she confidently strolled through the hallways with me. "And while, like me, you made that your goal for all the wrong reasons, like me, I know you will realize how much you love the work."

When we passed the downstairs toilets we saw Akari come out in her basketball uniform and greet us.

"Hey, Yuu! Hello Nanami-senpai! I heard the aquarium club presentation you set up is such a big success. We're all planning on ending practice early to come and have a look later. So get ready, because you're going to have a group of hyped athletes stumbling in," My tall friend winked. "Just kidding. We'll be quiet. I have to go now, so see you later."

Akari passed us by, and, due to me turning my head to watch her walk hurriedly back to her club, Touko had moved about a meter ahead of me.

As a variety of neurochemical processes took place in my brain Touko's advance became greater still.

The human mind works in a very peculiar way. People may search through an entire room for the keys they habitually carry in their pockets. A person may not have a clue at what time the bus arrives at their stop while they get on it every day at the same time.

In the same way, a person may be blind to the scheming manipulator who walks beside them while everyone else is perfectly aware of what has been going on.

When my brain finally worked out thanks to the help of a few superficial stimuli what I hadn't been able to see despite being glaringly obvious, my feet stopped moving and my face contorted into an exasperated grimace.

But a few seconds later my lower limbs exerted themselves to the utmost in chasing Touko through the hallways.

"You tricked me!"

* * *

Sayaka was sitting awkwardly on the tatami next to her girlfriend in the latter's room. Koyomi's writing desk was up against the wall in front of them with her laptop on top of it. On either side of the room was a cubicle cabinet filled with books and some trinkets.

It all looked very plain to the brunette. Like a blank canvas for Kanou-san's mind to fill with stories.

She looked to her right where Koyomi sat dressed in an indigo nightgown with a motif of red camellia flowers. Indigo blue was also the color of the futon duvets they were sitting on, which were decorated with a pair of cranes.

When after dinner the two of them washed and bathed together Koyomi blushingly presented her girlfriend with a purple nightgown carrying a similar flower motif as hers.  
On top of providing beautiful nightdresses, the aspiring writer had scented the air with ginger lily incense and there was a flower arrangement with forget-me-nots and one with a red rose.

For how enigmatic Sayaka's girlfriend sometimes seemed to her she couldn't have been more obvious on the occasion.

"I knew that nightgown would look amazing on you, Saeki-senpai," Koyomi whispered.

Sayaka glanced at the girl with the black bob whose bare legs folded up underneath her body looked silky smooth, the blue nightgown she was wearing draped around them. Koyomi was gazing back without restraint, causing the brunette to blush openly.

Whenever the aspiring writer slept over at her senpai's home it felt more to Sayaka as if she was having a friend over than that she was sleeping with her girlfriend. Even though they kissed she could distance herself more emotionally in her own room. In Koyomi's room, she was surrounded and pervaded by the blackette's desire and intention.

"I always loved how you braid your hair," Koyomi was gushing. "And the way you walk... You seem so immaculate and impenetrable, Saeki-senpai. But it was when I started to realize how passionate you are inside that I really became mesmerized by you."

Sayaka didn't know if it was embarrassment because of her kouhai's words or her gaze that was making her feel so warm? Or was it the incense that affected her?  
The fabric of the nightgown was feeling tingly on the bare skin of her legs, stomach, and arms.  
After a few moments, she realized Koyomi had stopped talking and ventured to look in her host's direction.

The blackette was staring at her balled fists which rested in her lap. Suddenly she lifted her head with a determined expression and a feeling of dread surged through Sayaka's body.

"Saeki-senpai… I confessed to you after the ceremony because I wanted to make it clear to you how deeply I love you and how serious I am about our relationship. When I invited you over after the play I wasn't sure of myself and I was too embarrassed to talk about this plainly, even though I had wanted it for a while, but I hoped you understood what I intended…"

The brunette watched her girlfriend's intense and flustered face without actually hearing what the younger girl was telling her because the moment the blackette started talking Sayaka noticed her surprisingly shapely right breast through the slip of her indigo nightgown and all she could think of was Koyomi's completely naked body underneath the nightdress.

"... so Saeki-senpai… Even though I know you are still unsure of me I want to touch you now. And I hope you will touch me. So if you don't want that at this time, you should stop me."

Sayaka saw Koyomi's eyes zoning in on her and noticed just how nervous the other girl was. The blackette's lips were pressed together as she inched closer to her girlfriend who confusedly wondered what she was expected to do.  
Tense, hot, and uncomfortable, Sayaka was only able to stare into her girlfriend's large eyes.

Then, Koyomi's gentle and warm hand caressed her girlfriend's cheek and Sayaka realized that the slightly shorter girl was suddenly sitting right next to her.

The brunette still felt tense, but it was as if she was experiencing the event with heightened senses and everything was slowed down. She could see every single shiny curved black hair on her girlfriend's head. She could see the light in her timid and gentle lover's blueish black irises as the corona's of a pair of eclipsed suns.

Koyomi was looking back into her eyes and was touching her hair, her cheeks… The blackette's left hand was fondling the fingers of Sayaka's right hand.

Slowly Sayaka's hand was brought up toward her girlfriend's soft and warm cheek. Unable to stop her kouhai's actions the brunette eventually calmed down from the sensation of Koyomi's right hand caressing her own cheek and she began to actively reciprocate the action.

Her girlfriend's fingers moved across her throat and down to her shoulder. The blackette's hand slipped through the fold of her senpai's nightgown and brought the sleeve down over the older girl's shoulder as she caressed her arm.

"Saeki-senpai… You are so beautiful…" Koyomi muttered as she kissed the fingers of her lover's right hand.

Sayaka's lips pulled her forward toward her girlfriend's and, as the action prompted them to lean on their right and left hand respectively, the two girls started to kiss softly and adoringly.

Not caring that she would soon only be dressed in her bra and panties the brunette allowed her devoted lover to slide the right sleeve down of her purple garment over her arm and help first her left arm and then the right through their respective sleeves until the nightgown cascaded down her body.

Enjoying the electrifying sensations of her girlfriend's loving kisses and her gentle hand caressing the back of her head and trailing through her hair Sayaka brought the left sleeve from Koyomi's nightgown down over the girl's shoulder and helped her pull her arm through it.

The brunette was startled for a moment as the blackette caught her by the wrist and, embracing her waist with her right arm, pulled her down on top of her.

With her nimble fingers, Koyomi loosened her lover's bra at the back. Sayaka leaned on her hands so her blushing girlfriend could slide the straps down her arms. At the same time, the wily girl underneath her used her toes to slip her senpai's panties down her thighs towards her knees.

The younger girl eagerly pulled her lover down again and the brunette felt her girlfriend's rapidly rising and falling breasts press up against her own as both enjoyed how their lips cherished each other and their warm arms held one another.

Even if she wasn't in love with Koyomi, Sayaka liked her girlfriend and was grateful for the love and consideration her kouhai showed her every day.

The blackette rolled the older girl onto her right side as the young lovers continued to kiss and caress one another's hair and cheeks while their feet aided each other in ridding the brunette of her last item of clothing.

Sayaka hadn't been able to discuss her distress with her girlfriend as Miyako had suggested.  
She felt it was a matter that she was going to work out for herself.  
Part of her had become convinced that perhaps a relationship without love wasn't so bad if both partners appreciated and liked one another. But deep down she knew that this couldn't last.

When eventually Sayaka would make her decision she was going to have to hurt the girl who loved her dearly. But Miyako was right: She was going to be as gentle as she possibly could. For now, she had determined to doubly repay all the kindness Koyomi showed her.

The brunette's left hand moved from her lover's cheek to her breast, which she tenderly fondled as they kissed. Then Koyomi rolled onto her back again and as her hand rested on the taller girl's shoulder Sayaka's hand moved lower.

Koyomi moaned softly, her right hand rested on her girlfriend's cheek as they kissed while Sayaka, who was lying on her right side beside her lover, caressed the entrance to the blackette's cozy cave.

"Saeki-senpai…" The younger girl smiled as they looked into each other's eyes. "Even when it comes to this you are so kind and gentle."

Sayaka said nothing. She continued the movements of her fingers, happy that her girlfriend enjoyed the way she was pleasuring her, and kissed Koyomi several times.

"I want you to be happy," She whispered softly.

The two young lovers breathed melodiously as they proceeded to exchange adoring kisses and caressed one another.

Sayaka's girlfriend had started to slide her left leg against her lap. The brunette noted the firmness of the limb and hummed in response to the way Koyomi used it to massage her mossy vale as she pleasured the girl with her fingers.

"I want you to be happy too," The blackette sighed as their noses nuzzled before their lips continued to cuddle and cling.

Leaning closer to her kouhai's warm body, Sayaka moved her right hand towards Koyomi's breast which she started to fondle as she straddled the shorter girl's thighs. As she moved her hips so as to cuddle the blackette's lap with hers the brunette leaned on her arms while her lover caressed her face and kissed her.

This Koyomi who loved her so much, Sayaka wanted to be as close to her as she could. She wanted to make the sun shine on the girl every day of her life. She may be selfish and weak in not being able to go back to her lonely life, but she would make sure to repay the kindness and devotion her girlfriend showed her.

"You are so beautiful, Saeki-senpai…"

Sayaka moved her warm body back and forth in Koyomi's embrace and kissed her fondly.

It was thanks to her lover that they could be so close, that she could experience what it was like to be loved. So what if like Touko and her senpai before her she wasn't able to return those feelings? She would make Koyomi feel loved in every other way. Because her darling kouhai would do exactly the same for her.

"Ah…. Koyomi!"

What was that? Sayaka felt herself blush a deep red. She couldn't believe she had called out to her girlfriend without honorifics in such a way.

"Hihihihihi!" She heard the girl lying underneath her giggle.

Then Koyomi's hands and lips lovingly fondled and kissed her face. Sayaka gingerly opened her eyes.

"You can be dignified and aloof, Saeki-senpai. But you can also look very cute," The blackette smiled as she smiled up at her.

"Sa… Sayaka… I really love you. I love every part of you."

Without warning, Koyomi tipped the brunette over and as Sayaka landed on her back she found her kouhai leaning over her.

"I know you worry, Sayaka. But even if you end up feeling you cannot be with me anymore… even if I miss being with you, I will be happy that I was able to love you. And if you will agree to stay friends afterward I will have no regrets."

Sayaka gazed up at the kind and devoted girl who understood her so well. The girl she had so much in common with, yet was so different from her.

"Please, don't worry anymore for my sake, Senpai," Koyomi whispered as she leaned on her left arm and kissed her girlfriend while her right hand slowly traveled down the brunette's body. "I told you before: You make me happy just by being with me."

Sayaka exchanged fiery kisses with the girl who continued to pleasure her and tenderly caressed her lover between her legs in return.

"Thank you for loving me, Koyomi," She whispered as the blackette nuzzled her warm cheek with her own.

Sayaka realized that she had learned something very important that evening. Something she was convinced very few people knew.

"I'm happy I didn't reject your proposal. Because if I had I would never have known how cool you are," The brunette eventually whispered before both girls fell asleep in each other's embrace.

* * *

And so, after the journey we all made in those two months since the school year started, I find myself in the arms of my girlfriend as we try to maintain our balance on our little boat.

"You see?" Touko smiles behind me. "Once you stop resisting and stop thinking that certain things aren't the way they should be or that there are certain things you don't feel up to you'll find that if you trust the people who decided they want to accompany you on your journey everything will work out."

I feel myself calming down and watch the ripples in the water as we stand together without shaking and without fear.

"You and Sayaka helped me to find a different way to live my life. That's why I wanted to help you find the path forward for you."

"I didn't trick you like that, though," I growled.

"Hmm… You did trick me a little bit," My girlfriend giggled. "And you wouldn't have become student-council president or managed to get that aquarium club you love so much if I hadn't, right?"

"Alright. I submit," I sigh.

Even though she can be like this, I still love my sweet adoring girlfriend after all.  
Feeling her gentle embrace around me I smile to myself as I remember how she decided to take me along on her journey. A journey that has seen both of us do things we never thought we'd do.

"Thank you, Touko," I say. "You were right. I do love the work I do as student-council president."

"I'm glad," She smiles and kisses the nape of my neck. "I love you too, Yuu-tan."

"Touko?" I sweatdrop.

"Hmm?"

"Please don't grope my breasts in public."


End file.
